Screenwriter | Actor

CULTURE SHOCK – dramady

After losing her marriage and fortune a single mother must learn what’s truly important in life.

Karyn and Richard Phillips are in a marriage filled with possessions rather than love. When Richard loses their money and leaves for another women, Karyn finds herself in the unique situation of working for a costumed catering company to pay the bills while learning how to be a mom to her eight year old son.

Karyn and Richard Phillips have a lot of things, but they haven’t had a real conversation in years. They’ve both grown accustomed to a life where he earns a lot of money and she spends it on lunch, limousines and the spa. Also suffering through this mess is their eight year old son, Oliver. On one hand he is virtually ignored by his parents, on the other hand his mother throws him expensive birthday parties to impress her friends.

This loveless life comes crashing down when Richard, through a series of bad investments and lies, puts their mansion in foreclosure and his business in the crapper. To make matters worse he informs Karyn, through his lawyer, that he is leaving her and Oliver for someone else because he has finally fallen truly in love.

Karyn and Oliver are forced out of the mansion and into a small apartment. They have no idea how to behave around each or how to live in these new circumstances. Helping Oliver adjust is a completely foreign concept for Karyn and talking to his mother is unknown territory for Oliver. Only when Karyn, who shows up drunk after lunch with her friends, is called to school and reprimanded by the principal for her neglect of Oliver, does she see that she needs to step up and be parent to her son. She takes responsibility for their situation and asks new friend and neighbor Betsy Green to introduce her to Live Entertainment, Betsy’s employer. Karyn gets the gig. The only caveat is that they wear costumes to fit the theme of the parties. After a few minor bumps along the road, Karyn learns the ropes of her jobs and is a champ at maneuvering around ballrooms in over sized costumed big heads. She and Oliver have fallen into a nice routine and are falling in love with each other. At work, Scott Klien has taken a shine to her.

Still, Karyn feels this is only temporary. She still hides her newfound working class status from her two best friends, telling them that she’s getting alimony and child support from her now ex-husband. At a party she meets Derrick Johnston, a wealthy man who used to work with Richard. He knows Karyn’s circumstances and is drawn to her because of who she is, not because of who she was. Karyn sees a chance to get ‘back to her life’, and again be able to shower Oliver with gifts. This time she feels the gifts are coming from her heart and truly showing the love she has for her little boy. Karyn’s life will go back to the way it was. The question is, will she?